


Initiative

by AnselaJonla



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 13:43:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18692686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnselaJonla/pseuds/AnselaJonla
Summary: There's a habit that some Abel residents have which annoys others. A couple of Runners take it on themselves to solve this.





	Initiative

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by reading the story "Four Missions That Didn't Change the World" by the author "PercyByssheShelley", after it was linked to on Rofflenet.

“Did you authorise any new construction, de Luca?” Major de Santa asked, looking out of the window of her office in Janine’s farmhouse. Janine and Evan both got up to see what Abel’s leader had spotted.

“I know I didn’t agree to the use of any of my Runners for internal building works,” Evan grumbled.

Simon and Five were each dragging an armful of planks across the quad, leaving twin tracks scraped in the dirt behind them. A hammer was stuck through one of Five’s belt loops, pulling the waistband down on that side, a saw was looped over one of Five’s wrists, and one of Simon’s pockets bulged with what was probably nails.

“No, there’s nothing planned for today. And I believe that is scrap wood, due to be stripped of its varnish and broken up for fuel.” This was the fate of any wood that wasn’t solid enough to be used for buildings or furniture.

“I’m sure we’ll find out what they’re up to at some point. Now, we were going over the mission plans for the next week,” de Santa turned her back to the window. What the Runners got up to in their free time was their business.

Even if those two _were_ absolute headaches when they started plotting together.

 

**\--**

 

Five’s nose wrinkled on entry to the rec room. The smell inside explained why every window was open, but that didn’t seem to be helping much. A haze of smoke lingered at head height, filling every nook and cranny.

It wasn’t difficult to find the culprit. There were only three people in the rec room at the moment, not including Five, and Jack and Eugene were shooting disgusted glances at the third occupant. Five thought that Jack’s expression held a slight tinge of envy as well, but it was mostly disgust.

It was understandable. Before the world turned grey, smoking in public buildings had been illegal for _years_ , and in Five’s mind the rec room was _definitely_ classed as a public building. No one wanted to be exposed to someone else’s secondhand smoke while going about their daily business. And Runners used this space for their post-run cooldown, especially in colder weather. Having it filled with cigarette smoke wasn’t conducive to that.

Never mind the asthmatics who’d been driven out of this communal area. Maxine had had a whole _rant_ on that, and the various other evils of smoking, during the last Demons and Darkness session Five had attended. This situation just was _not_ acceptable, and Five wasn’t going to tolerate it any longer.

 

**\--**

 

Maxine stepped out of the med tent to see what the shouting was about. It wasn’t a returning Runner needing medical attention; it was coming from the wrong direction, and Sam hadn’t come running over from the comms shack to warn her anyway.

The commotion was coming from the direction of the rec room. Five was… dragging someone out? Someone who wasn’t particularly happy about being manhandled by the Runner. Maxine started to stroll over, in case the disagreement turned into a brawl. The other person was trying to get away, presumably to go back inside, but couldn’t seem to shake Five’s grip.

‘Good luck with _that_ ,” Maxine thought. Abel’s newest Runner was the persistent sort, and seemed determined to give both Maxine and Sam grey hairs due to unnecessary stubbornness and contrariness.

“Is Simon wandering over to help Five, or help Mike?” Sam mused. Maxine just about restrained herself from jumping at his sudden arrival. She hadn’t even realised he’d left the comms shack for the day. He couldn’t have been out for long, she could still see the impression that his headset left on his hair.

Ah, Simon was here to help Five. He took Mike’s other arm, and the two Runners lead the cook round the corner of the rec room. Maxine followed, starting to get worried about why the two Runners seemed to have taken such a dislike to the mild-mannered man.

“Well, that wasn’t there yesterday,” she muttered, as they rounded the back corner of the rec room. A wooden construction had been attached to the back wall, stretching between two of the windows. A sloping roof protruded out further that its two supporting walls.

As Maxine got closer she saw the sign attached to the front of the roof. “Smoking Area” was written on it in alternating red and white letters. She could also see a few battered chairs filling the space under the roof.

“That explains what those two were up to the other day,” Evan rumbled from next to Maxine. The Head of Runners sighed. “I know that people were getting fed up of the rec room constantly being filled with cigarette smoke, but I didn’t realise they were _this_ fed up.”

“And we’re going to paint a no-smoking sign in the rec room too!” Simon said. Maxine realised she’d missed him explaining the new policy that had apparently been decided by several of Abel’s residents. Or maybe just Simon and Five, she wasn’t sure.

“You can’t enforce that,” someone grumbled, safely anonymous in the crowd that had gathered for the free entertainment.

“It will be enforced,” Maxine announced. “Since several Abel residents have taken their time to provide an alternative venue for smoking, there’s no excuse for doing so in communal areas any more.”

“I agree. Everyone return to your duties. Mr Lauchlan, Runner Five, I believe you have some painting to do. Expand your efforts to the mess tent, med tent, latrines, and comms shack while you’re at it. That should keep you busy for a few hours. Try to make them look like official No Smoking signs please.”

The crowd dispersed. Since neither Janine nor Evan seemed inclined to chastise the two Runners at that moment, the entertainment was over. The plotting pair turned towards the store rooms where the paint was kept.

“Good show of initiative you two,” Evan said as they passed him. Headaches they might be, but they were _his_ headaches.


End file.
